Paper-clip.



J. B. HALE.

PAPER CLIP.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 14, 1912.

Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

Fig. 2.

awn/whoa Josiwa Hula.

JOSHUA B. HALE, OF PROVIDENCE, RHGDE ISLAND, ASSIGNOR TO WALTER H.BARNEY, 0F PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

PAPER CLIP.

Application filed June 14, 1912.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosHUA B. HALE, a

citizen of the United States, and resident of the city of Providence, inthe county of Providence and State of Rhode Island, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Paper-Clips, of which thefollowing is a specification.

he object of this invention is to provide a spring clip for temporarilyholding papers or sheet-like articles, and to so construct the clip thatit will be of the minimum thick ness to but slightly add to thethickness of the articles gripped by it. This object is accomplished byforming the clip from acontinuous strip or coil of flat spring metalhaving both ends cut on an angle to the body portion thereof, said bodybeing folded between its extremities upon itself forming two contactingopposing spring arms united by a bridge or saddle port-ion, the freeends of said arms being reduced or pointed on substantially diagonal orangular lines from opposite edges toward their respective points wherebyan entering space or mouth is formed between them.

A further object and essential feature of the invention is theconstruction wherein the middle portion in transverse section of thearms are each bent outward or provided with an-outward curvature,thereby forming a space between them at the point of intersection oftheir substantially angular or diagonal lines permitting a sheet ofpaper to enter the angular mouth of the clip and to be easily passedbetweenthe arms forcing them very gradually apart, which gradual openingis due to the length of the angle or the distance between the point ofintersection and the actual meeting of the members at their'outer edges.

It is found in practice that where the arms actually contact at thepoint of intersection of the angular edges, difficulty is experienced inentering the edge of a thin sheet of paper between them, for the reasonthat the arms when so formed are called upon to yield and separateimmediately or abruptly the full width of the entering sheet or sheets,instead of opening gradually as is the case in my present improvedconstruction.

iVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, as will be more fully de- Specifioationof Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 19, 1913.

Serial No. 703,653.

scribed and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

Of the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a greatly enlarged perspectiveview of my improved clip. Fig. 2 is an-enlarged View of a strip of metalfrom which the clip is formed showing one end of the strip as out on anangle. Fig. 3'- is a transverse section on line 3-3 of Fig. 1. Fig. 4-is a longitudinal section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 shows a pair ofstrip cutting dies formed to produce the desired curvature or transversebend in the stock while cutting the same from the continuous strip. Fig.6 shows the preferred form in which the angular edges'o'f the free endsare formed with an outward curvature instead of a dtraightline as shownin Figs. 1 and 2.

In practice a clip for holding papers should be made with the maximumengaging grip and yet should be made so that the edge of even a thinsheet of paper can be readily passed between the gripping arms. Thiscannot be satisfactorily accomplished wit-h a clip made of flat springmetal where the angular ends meet at the point of intersection.

Referring to the drawing, 10 designates a continuous strip or ribbon offlat spring metal which may be fed from a roll by any suitable means tothe dies 11 and 12 in the clip forming machine where it is cut offatsuitable intervals on an angle to the body portion of the strip, whichangle may be formed by a straight line as illustrated by dotted lines1314 in Fig. 2, or on a curved line as shown at 27 in Fig. 6,formingangular tapering projections having obtuse or rounded points.

An essential feature of my invention is that these ends are not only cutat an angle, but are also, by the same or a separate operation, slightlybent, dented or concaved on their inner faces so that the two ends, whenopposed, are slightly separated at the point where the lines of theedges of the two ends cross each other. The body of the strip is thenfolded midway between its extremities back upon itself forming a loop 15at the bend, the opposing arms 16 and 17 lying in contact with eachother for a portion of their length, as shown at 18 in Figs. 1 and 4,the same being joined together at the loop by a bridge or saddle portion19. The folding of thesearms locates the points 21 and 22 and alsolocates the concaved' faces of the arms opposite each other whereby aspace 20, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and i, is provided between them atthe'point of intersection of their angular lines, the stock in the armsmeeting again at their outer edges at the base of the angles 23 and 2a.The space thus provided by these oppositely curved surfaces permits thesheets to readily enter between the arms and very gradually force themopen or apart as the edges of the sheets approach said contacting outeredges, which gradual opening action is due to the angular cut of theends, together with their transverse concavity.

To further carry out the principle of my invention and to gain thegreatest advantage by my improved construction I may, as illustrated inFig. 6, round off the angular edges at 28 so as to increase the lengthof the angle from the intersecting lines 29 to the meeting outer edge 30This rounding of the edges also again serves to facilitate the enteringof thepaper between the opposing arms as it removes the sharp angle orangular shoulders which are formed when the angular ends are made on astraight line from the outer end to the point of contact. By thisconstruction it will be seen that the separation of the arms will bestill more gradual as the edge of a sheet is passed between them thanwhen these angular ends are formed on a straight line.

By my improved construction of providing concavcd ends on the pieceswhen out from the strip to form an entering space between the planes ofthe opposite arms, itis entirely unnecessary to chamfer or turn theedges and 26 outward exceptwhatis naturally done by the action of thecutter in severing the strip.

A feature of my improved clip is that it is made of very thin liat metaland when bent into the desired form, the thickness of the whole clip,including both arms, does not exceed the diameter of one of the two armsof an ordinary clip made of round wire, thus reducing to the minimum thespace required for articles held together by this clip. The clip may bemade to hold any desired number of sheets by regulating the width of thebridge or saddle which connect the arms or gripping members. Anotherfeature of my improved clip is that it.-

flat upon the papers, will not injure or mark the papers engaged, andbecause of its being so thin it will not in any way interfere with theautomatic canceling operation of the postage stamps either whileincloscd in the envelop or used on an uninclosed folder. The members ofthe clip are so extremely thin that they do not contribute materially toincrease the contents of tiles or other receptacles in which thearticles so clipped are stored. Then again, my improved -clip has nosharp points and cannot become tangled either with other clips or withother papers lying about. It is very readily applied; and has a largeengaging area for firmly retaining the articles engaged. Owing to itscompact form it can be stowed in boxes of theminimurn dimensions forshipment or use.

The phrase angular lines in the specification and claim, is intended tocover the formation of the arm ends whether such lines are straight orcurved.

I claim:

As an article of manufacture, a paper clip formed of a ribbon of thinmetal of uniform width bent upon itself to form opposing contactingspring arms united by a bowed saddle portion, the free ends of said armsbeing inclined at an angle to each other, said arms being bent slightlyoutward in transverse section adjacentsaid free ends toform a spacebetween them at the point where the angular edges cross each other,whereby an easy entrance is afforded between said opposing arms. I

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOSHUA B. HALE.

\Vitnesses DANIEL L. McGINIs, VIOLA FoLLis.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cent each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C.

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